In The Pentateuch: An Annotated Bibliography, Old Testament scholar Kenton L. Sparks provides expert guidance through more than seven hundred of the most significant books, articles, and essays on the Pentateuch. His annotations describe the basic argument of the work, and brief section introductions provide necessary orientation. The result is more than just a list of books to read. This carefully chosen and wisely annotated list provides an introduction to and a survey of scholarly study of the Pentateuch.
From the introduction: "When we speak of ethnicity, we bring into view a particular kind of sentiment about group identity wherein groups of individuals view themselves as being alike by virtue of their common ancestry. It is something of a truism to point out that ethnicity has played an important role in the history of Judaism, both in the postbiblical era and prior to it....The reason for this interest is twofold. First, in virtually every discipline of the humanities, there seems to be a general unhappiness with the superficial way that scholars have handled the issues of culture and identity. More specifically, with respect to ancient Israel, recent biblical scholarly activity--both literary and historical--has raised serious doubts about the supposed origins and antiquity of Israelite ethnicity." With this agenda in view, Kent Sparks provides a summary of current studies in ethnicity and ethnic identity, then moves to a discussion of Israel's ancient Near Eastern context and expressions of ethnic identity in the written remains from surrounding nations. Turning next to ancient Israel itself, he examines texts generally considered early in Israel's history for information relevant to Israel's ethnic identity. Sparks then investigates the witness of the prophets and the historical materials relating to the Judean monarchy and the exilic period, looking for expressions of ethnic sentiment. His research will likely prove to be the foundation on which future study of the topic will be built.
No matter what side you're on or how you look at it, we're living in a world that's filled with "fake news" and with lots of people who believe it. How do Christians fits into this world? In this book, Kenton Sparks argues that certain approaches to biblical authority, which assume that the Bible is a perfect book, make Christians especially susceptible to the deceptions of "fake news" and cause us to embrace false understandings of the Bible and, because of this, about natural science, social science, various academic disciplines, politics, morals, ethics, and loads of other things. The resulting damage to faith and Christian witness is significant. Is there a better way to understand and honor biblical authority? Yes. We must restore God as the final authority over our interpretations of Scripture. The path forward for this theological agenda was modeled by Jesus Christ in his interpretations of Scripture. Whereas his contemporaries often followed the "letter of the law" or something akin to it, Jesus taught that love for God and neighbor provided the proper foundation and destination for healthy readings and applications of the Bible. If love required more radical, internal commitments to the law, Jesus demanded this of his audience; where love required that we set aside the law's violent judgments, he pointed his audience in the opposite direction. In modeling this approach to Scripture, Jesus taught "as one with authority" and thus showed us that, when we interpret Scripture through the lens of divine love, we give ourselves the best opportunity to read Scripture under the authority of God.
The Bible is a religious masterpiece. Its authors cast a profound vision for the healing of humanity through the power of divine love, grace and forgiveness. But the Bible also contains "dark texts" that challenge our ethical imagination. How can one book teach us to love our enemies and also teach us to slaughter Canaanites? Why does a book that preaches the equality of all people -- male and female, slave and free, Greek and Jew -- also include laws that permit God's people to trade in slaves and to persecute those of a different faiths or ethnicities? In Sacred Word, Broken Word Kenton Sparks argues that the "dark side" of Scripture is not an illusion. Rather, these dark texts remind us that all human beings, including the biblical authors, stand in need of God's redemptive solution in Jesus Christ.
The conclusions of critical biblical scholarship often pose a disconcerting challenge to traditional Christian faith. Between the two poles of uncritical embrace and outright rejection of these conclusions, is there a third way? Can evangelical believers incorporate the insights of biblical criticism while at the same time maintaining a high view of Scripture and a vital faith? In this provocative book, Kenton Sparks argues that the insights from historical and biblical criticism can indeed be valuable to evangelicals and may even yield solutions to difficult issues in biblical studies while avoiding pat answers. This constructive response to biblical criticism includes taking seriously both the divine and the human aspects of the Bible and acknowledging the diversity that exists in the biblical texts.
In The Pentateuch: An Annotated Bibliography, Old Testament scholar Kenton L. Sparks provides expert guidance through more than seven hundred of the most significant books, articles, and essays on the Pentateuch. His annotations describe the basic argument of the work, and brief section introductions provide necessary orientation. The result is more than just a list of books to read. This carefully chosen and wisely annotated list provides an introduction to and a survey of scholarly study of the Pentateuch.
The nature of the Genesis narrative has sparked much debate among Christians. This book introduces three predominant interpretive genres and their implications for biblical understanding. Each contributor identifies their position on the genre or genres of Genesis, chapters 1-11, addresses why their interpretation is respectful of and appropriate to the text, and contributes examples of its application to a variety of passages. The positions include: Theological History(Genesis can be taken seriously as both history and theology) – defended by James K. Hoffmeier. Proto-History (the early Genesis narratives consist of a variety of literary genres; which, nonetheless, do not obscure the book's theological teaching) – defended by Gordon J. Wenham. Ancient Historiography (an understanding of Genesis that seeks to reconcile the limitations of its human authors with the nature of it being the Word of God) defended by Kenton L. Sparks. General editor and Old Testament scholar Charles Halton explains the importance of genre and provides historical insight in the introduction and helpful summaries of each position in the conclusion. In the reader-friendly Counterpoints format, this book helps readers to reflect on the strengths and weaknesses of each view and draw informed conclusions in this much-debated topic.
The conclusions of critical biblical scholarship often pose a disconcerting challenge to traditional Christian faith. Between the two poles of uncritical embrace and outright rejection of these conclusions, is there a third way? Can evangelical believers incorporate the insights of biblical criticism while at the same time maintaining a high view of Scripture and a vital faith? In this provocative book, Kenton Sparks argues that the insights from historical and biblical criticism can indeed be valuable to evangelicals and may even yield solutions to difficult issues in biblical studies while avoiding pat answers. This constructive response to biblical criticism includes taking seriously both the divine and the human aspects of the Bible and acknowledging the diversity that exists in the biblical texts.
The nature of the Genesis narrative has sparked much debate among Christians. This book introduces three predominant interpretive genres and their implications for biblical understanding. Each contributor identifies their position on the genre or genres of Genesis, chapters 1-11, addresses why their interpretation is respectful of and appropriate to the text, and contributes examples of its application to a variety of passages. The positions include: Theological History(Genesis can be taken seriously as both history and theology) – defended by James K. Hoffmeier. Proto-History (the early Genesis narratives consist of a variety of literary genres; which, nonetheless, do not obscure the book's theological teaching) – defended by Gordon J. Wenham. Ancient Historiography (an understanding of Genesis that seeks to reconcile the limitations of its human authors with the nature of it being the Word of God) defended by Kenton L. Sparks. General editor and Old Testament scholar Charles Halton explains the importance of genre and provides historical insight in the introduction and helpful summaries of each position in the conclusion. In the reader-friendly Counterpoints format, this book helps readers to reflect on the strengths and weaknesses of each view and draw informed conclusions in this much-debated topic.
The Bible is a religious masterpiece. Its authors cast a profound vision for the healing of humanity through the power of divine love, grace and forgiveness. But the Bible also contains "dark texts" that challenge our ethical imagination. How can one book teach us to love our enemies and also teach us to slaughter Canaanites? Why does a book that preaches the equality of all people -- male and female, slave and free, Greek and Jew -- also include laws that permit God's people to trade in slaves and to persecute those of a different faiths or ethnicities? In Sacred Word, Broken Word Kenton Sparks argues that the "dark side" of Scripture is not an illusion. Rather, these dark texts remind us that all human beings, including the biblical authors, stand in need of God's redemptive solution in Jesus Christ.
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